Never Walk Alone
by SaoirseParisa
Summary: When tragedy strikes the Ketchum household, Serena is determined to be there for Ash. Both Ash and Serena learn difficult lessons about life, death, and how to cope with it all.


**A/N** : This fan fic is dedicated to an online friend of mine. His mother died recently, and I feel bad that I can't do much for him aside from tell him a bunch of virtual words of sympathy that may or may not make him feel better...so I thought I'd try this. I know it's not much, but...it's all I can do for him. I hope he can find some peace after this dark time.

* * *

The blaring of a cell phone cut through the tranquil stillness of Serena's bedroom. With a yelp, she turned around from her desk, the red and pink hair pin she was trying on now dangling from her bangs, hanging on for dear life. Struggling for a moment to calm down, she lurched forward, grabbing the phone with one hand. Her sky blue eyes looked down, wondering who the heck was calling her.

Ash Ketchum was the name listed.

Ash...Serena's heart thundered to life, hammering in her chest, even as Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon gathered around, wondering what was up. "Ash?" She muttered to herself, as if to confirm that it really was Ash calling her. But it had been months since they parted ways. Ash had left Kalos. Why was he calling? Granted, she was happy that he was calling her right now, but…

She flipped it open, holding it to her ear. "Hello? Ash?"

Silence. The faint buzzing of a connected line hummed in her ear, but Ash's voice wasn't coming through. Maybe he wasn't talking. That was odd. Ash would normally go on and on about whatever it was he was excited about, like battling gyms or his Pokemon.

"Braixen?" The bipedal fox Pokemon inquired, her brown eyes brimming with concern.

"Ash? Is that you?" Serena said a little more forcefully, the seeds of concern in her heart beginning to sprout like a weed. "I'm here, Ash. It's me, Serena."

"...Serena?" There it was. Ash's voice. But something about it was different. It sounded...huskier. She could hear subtle cracks, like it was finally starting to change. It wasn't the only change, either. His voice was strained and oddly hoarse, like he had been crying.

"Hi, Ash. It's great to hear your voice," Serena told him, forcing a smile and cheerfulness. Pancham facepalmed.

Once again, the phone fell silent.

"Sylveon?" The intertwining Pokemon poked Serena's leg with one of her feelers.

"Is something wrong?" Serena inquired.

Then, in that moment, a sound she never expected to hear came out of Ash's throat. A hoarse, wretched sob so heartbreaking it made Serena gasp. Was Ash...crying? Ash? The strong, courageous, adventurous, kind, and energetic, if sometimes impulsive and reckless Ash Ketchum? Crying? Already, the world was swimming all around Serena, sending her head spinning.

"Ash, you can tell me. It's okay."

"It's...my mom…" He finally choked out, his voice trembling and cracking even more. In the back of her mind, Serena could feel as though Ash was trying very hard to not say something, like it was reinforcing the fact that it happened. But what? What happened to his mom? "She...she's gone."

"Gone?" Gone as in dead? Serena put the pieces together. It had to be that she had died. Ash wouldn't be crying if it wasn't like that. "What happened?" She inquired once more.

After another short bout of silence, Ash composed himself enough to tell her what happened. His mother, Delia, had left to buy some groceries. But on the way home, a drunk driver hit her, and apparently, from what he heard, the impact was so strong that Delia was thrown against the concrete wall of another house, like a rag doll. She suffered massive brain damage, to the point where she had to be on life support. To make things worse, she had a stroke the week after, and was declared brain dead. Ash's relatives allowed the doctor to take Delia off life support, knowing that she wouldn't want to live her life on a machine.

Just like that, she was gone.

Serena didn't breathe. It took a while for her brain to catch up to the terrible story Ash told her. Her entire body felt numb. Ash always spoke highly of his mother. He respected and loved Delia Ketchum very much. He would practically glow when he would talk about how good her cooking is and how supportive she was when he needed someone to help him, all that good stuff. Serena never met her, but from the way Ash talked about her, she could tell Delia seemed like a good person and a great mother.

Complete shock and devastation overcame her. "Oh, Ash…" Now it was Serena whose voice was cracking. "I...I don't know what to say…" Of course she didn't know. Serena knew all too well that nothing she'd say or do could bring Delia back.

"I'm sorry, Serena…" Ash's voice trembled. "I probably shouldn't have called out of nowhere...with this horrible news-"

"No! It's okay, Ash," Serena exclaimed, her voice going up an octave. "Why are you apologizing? What happened isn't your fault, and I'm glad you told me," Another silence. This time, both were silent for a while. "I...I'm the one who's sorry. For your loss."

"Thanks," Ash took in a breath.

Her hand squeezed tightly around the phone, Serena found herself lost in her mind. Ash must be in a lot of pain. Both physically and emotionally. As far as she knew, Ash's father wasn't around. What was going to happen to him? Would relatives take him in, if he had any? Would he be alright? Would he be sent away? Serena shook her head. She herself was devastated, but she could only imagine how much worse this was for Ash.

"...Do you know when the funeral is?" Serena asked, finally.

Another brief silence, but Ash once again composed himself enough to give her the necessary details: the funeral, the funeral home, the address, when it'd begin, everything. Serena scrambled around her room for a notepad and a pen, vigorously writing everything down the minute Ash mentioned them.

"Serena? What are you-?"

"I'll be there on the first flight tomorrow morning!" Serena suddenly announced. "I'll make my mom take me to Kanto or go there myself," Her previous sadness suddenly morphed into ambition and determination. No, nothing was going to stop her from doing this.

She wanted-no, needed-to be there for Ash. Ash needed someone. Anyone. No way Serena was going to just sit around doing nothing but twiddle her thumbs. Her friend, her most important person...needed someone to be there for him.

"...Thank you, Serena."

"I'm glad you called, Ash. I'll be there as soon as I can. I...I know this might not help...but take care of yourself, and just hang tight. Alright? I'm sure you're already doing what you can, and...it's probably hard. Really hard. But I'll be there. You can count on it."

She meant every word she said, and she was going to make sure she did. Ash could hear her resolve, so strong and earnest.

"...I'll be seeing you soon. Goodbye."

"Bye, Ash."

With that, she hung up. Without so much as a warning, she raced down the stairs, coming right into the living room before bounding into the kitchen. "Mom! We need to go to Kanto!"

* * *

It took quite a bit of convincing for Serena to be able to go to Kanto to visit Ash, even after she explained what happened. Offering to do the chores, care for the Rhyhorn for a whole month, and working harder on perfecting her Pokemon performance routines proved to be enough for Grace to relent. She had never seen her daughter take something so hard and just drop everything for one thing. Nevertheless, they bought a plane ticket and left for Kanto the very next morning, as promised.

After they arrived at the airport, they rented a car to go to Pallet Town, Ash's hometown. She had an idea of what Ash's house looked like, as he sent her a picture of it and the address via email the night before, right after their phone call finished. Once they arrived, Serena was quick to bounce right out of the car, not stopping even to check if it was really Ash's house or not. But she was here now, and she was sure Ash was expecting her.

With three knocks, she waited in front of the door. After a couple seconds, it creaked open. Out came Ash, his messy, tousled black hair looking even more disheveled than before. His normally bright, soft brown eyes that burned with determination were now red, puffy, heavy, even a little bloodshot. The rest of his face was completely flushed, and his eyebrows were trapped in a seemingly permanent furrow. Resting on his shoulder was his faithful partner, Pikachu.

"Serena!" Ash exclaimed with a start, his jaw falling open. "Wow, you're actually here!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu chirruped, waving one of his yellow front paws at her.

Already, Serena's heart melted, not from joy, but with melancholy. There was no denying it, Ash looked absolutely lousy. His shirt was slightly disheveled, with part of the zipper having come undone. Black strands of hair kept pointing toward the ceiling, defying gravity. A growl rumbled from Ash's stomach. When was the last time he had eaten? Had he even slept? The frown on Ash's face was unmistakable. In short, this was not the Ash Ketchum she knew and loved.

"Hi, Ash," Serena could barely hold back her own sorrow. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. How...how are you?"

Immediately, Serena mentally kicked herself for asking that. Of course she knew how he was. Ash was sad. Devastated. In pain. He just lost his mother. How else would he be feeling?

"I'm...getting by, somehow. Come on in," He courteously gestured for Serena to come inside.

The subtle sounds of relatives quelled the previous stillness of the Ketchum house. Most of them were already gathered in the kitchen, talking amongst themselves. A lone Mr. Mime kept waving a feather duster on some vases and other trinkets around the house. Nothing but a frown on its otherwise comical-looking, rosy cheeked face.

Nobody else noticed Serena coming in. To her, this was fine. She didn't feel like conversing with Ash's relatives right now. With a soft, sympathetic look in his small eyes, Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder when the duo sat on the couch and sat on Ash's lap, silently giving his trainer permission to stroke his back for however long he pleased. Ash did exactly that. With a shaking hand, he stroke the mouse Pokemon's yellow fur, left and right, left and right.

Other than Ash's relatives conversing in the kitchen, the house was silent. To Ash and Serena, at least. Neither exchanged words. It spoke volumes that even Pikachu didn't make a sound as Ash gently pet him. It spoke volumes that Ash was so silent, so desolate, so small and frightened. That didn't suit Ash at all. Serena barely had it in her to even look at him. It would be too painful. But she met his eyes. His expression was one of abject misery, and Serena knew in her gut that nothing she could say would possibly alleviate his pain. A vital piece of his life was cruelly taken away from him.

Stupid drunk driver.

"Thanks…" Ash finally muttered, his voice barely audible.

"For what?"

"For coming here. You didn't...have to…"

Serena shook her head. "No, Ash. I wanted to come. I wasn't going to sit around and do nothing…"

A small but wretched sob escaped Ash's throat. "It's...not fair…"

"Yeah. It isn't fair. Not fair at all."

Unable to hold it back anymore, more sobs slipped from Ash's lips. Serena wrapped her arm around him, hoping it'd reassure him, let him know that she was there. She didn't tell him to not cry. In fact, let him cry. He needed to let it all out, and let it out, he did. Ash rested his head on Serena's shoulder and cried despondently on her clothes. Serena's small, dainty fingers stroke his dark hair gently. Already, she could hear her heart break into pieces.

What did Ash do to deserve this? What did Delia do to have her life taken away before her time? Neither had the answer. But Arceus, this was completely unfair. No amount of answers given to them could change that.

* * *

The funeral was a solemn, abject day, and the proceedings were, for the most part, short and sweet. Just the way Ash and Serena liked it. Probably how Delia would have wanted them, too. By the time it ended, Ash and Serena were still in the front row of pews, staring at the mahogany coffin laced with snow white flowers, sitting on an altar. Ash's relatives offered their sincerest condolences, but their voices barely registered to him. Serena thanked them herself, seeing that Ash was in no mood for doing so.

"Pikapiiiii?" Finally, Pikachu's tiny voice pulled Ash out of his reverie. He looked down at his yellow friend, noticing the red flower in his paws.

For once, Ash flashed a smile. "Oh. Did you pick that out, buddy?" He bent downward, stroking Pikachu's head with one hand. "That's sweet of you. Mom really likes those."

Likes. Present tense.

"Do you want to put it on her coffin?" Ash asked.

Pikachu nodded. "Pika pika."

Ash stood up from the pew. "Here, I'll help you," He scooped the yellow mouse in his arms, escorting him to the coffin. Once they got close enough, Pikachu gently placed the red flower in the tiny puddle of white lilies. It was easy for the lone swatch of red to stand out. Nobody seemed to mind.

"So…" It had been nagging at her for some time. She had wanted to ask, but there never seemed to be an appropriate time. At this point, she was done waiting. She had to ask sometime. Maybe it'd make Ash mad, maybe it wouldn't. She had to try. "What happens now? What's...going to happen to you?"

A brief silence fell, before Ash spoke. "I don't know. Professor Oak still has my Pokemon with him, so they're in good hands. As for me…" He looked down at his black leather shoes. Actually, he seemed to stare right through them. "...I have no idea."

"Pikachuuuuu," It broke Pikachu's heart to not be able to console Ash. Pikachu was just a Pokemon, a little mouse that produced electricity. What could he possibly do in this situation?

On impulse, Serena took Ash's hands into her own. Looking him right in the face, she said, "Ash. I know it's hard. I know you're hurting. But...I want you to know...whatever happens, you're not alone. I'm here. Pikachu's here. All your friends and family are here for you."

Another smile flashed on Ash's face. It was a sad smile, but Serena could tell he appreciated her kind words. "Whatever the future holds for you, you'll never walk alone. We won't let you."

"Pikachu!" The yellow mouse chirruped as he flashed a peace sign in Ash's direction, echoing Serena's sentiment.

"I know you can get through this. I don't know your mother. I wish I had met her. But from what you told me, she seems like a very nice woman, and I'm sure she wouldn't want you to spend all your time being sad and...not allowing yourself to be happy."

"I know, Serena. I know," Ash sniffed. "I'll try to get through this somehow, and yeah. Mom was really nice. You would have liked her."

The two of them sat back down, all smiles. "If you don't mind, I'd love to hear more about her. What was she like?"

"Well, she loved gardening. She'd always plant tomatoes and flowers and all that stuff. She was a really great cook, too. She was the best mom ever. To me, she was."

Soon, the two kids were conversing about Delia, going on and on about what she was like, her hobbies, how great her cooking was, how she encouraged Ash to follow his dreams, everything. For a moment, the funeral home was aglow with joy. Perhaps Delia's spirit had come to watch over them, making sure Ash was okay. He would be okay. Life needed to go on, whether he was ready for it or not. It wouldn't be easy, but Ash knew from the bottom of his heart that he wasn't alone. In life, sometimes all one needs is someone to be there for them, to help them cope when things get tough.

This goodbye to Delia was hard on Ash. Actually, understatement of the millennium. Even so, whatever path Ash took, he would never walk alone.


End file.
